Airship.



B; M. BALLS. AIBSHI P. APPLIOATIONIILED FEB. 12, 1910.

995,033, Patented June 13,1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS co wasumcmn, n. c.

Patented June 13,1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

amw/bo'o co., WASHINGTON, a. c,

E. M. RALLS.

AIRSHIP.

APPLIOATION I'ILED FEB. 12, 1910.

n4: uosms PEYERG E. M. RALLS. AIRSHIP. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, 1910.

Patented June 13, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHBET 3.

ru: NORRIS PETERS ca, WASHINGTON, uv c.

III

TAM ES PATENT nnron.

EARL 1V1. BALLS, OF SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

AIBSHIP.

Application filed February 12, 1916. Serial No. 543,577.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL M. BALLS, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Sacramento, in the county of Sacramento and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Airships, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to air ships and has for its object the provision of a machine consisting of a combined elongated balloon made up of a plurality of separate gas bags contained in separate compartments of a wire mesh casing, said balloon carrying a platform, laterally extending air planes adjacent to the front and rear ends of the balloon, the former being rigidly secured thereto and the latter mounted to swing on axles extending laterally of the balloon, a propeller mounted on the front and driven by a suitable motor, a vertical rudder at the rear, and mechanism to control the rudder and movable wings to guide the device horizontally and vertically.

My invention will be described in detail hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved air ship, Fig. 2, a side view, Fig. 3, a front view, Fig. 4, a rear view, and Fig. 5, a fragmental sectional view of the gas bag compartments.

In the drawings similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all of the views.

The frame of my improved air ship consists of the horizontal bars 1, 2 and 3, cross bars 4 connecting said pieces 1, 2, and 3, and vertical bars 5, said parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 being made preferably of steel tubing to secure the required rigidity and at the same time make the frame as light as consistent with the required strength. Bars 1 and 2 and the cross bars 4 and vertical bars 5 contiguous therewith are covered with a screen 6 of six inch mesh made of piano wire, while the lower bars 3 support a suitable platform (not shown). The front ends of horizontal I bars 1 and 3 are extended forwardly of the forwardmost vertical bar 5 and inclined toward one another and secured to a vertical bar 9.

The propeller 10 is secured to shaft 11, journaled in boxes 12 mounted on the top of the ship, shaft 11 being geared to shaft 13 driven by any suitable motor 14 by means of chain and sprocket gearing 15 or its equivalent.

16 indicates a vertical bar secured to the rear end of the frame and 18 indicates the rudder secured to vertical shaft 19, journaled in boxes 20 mounted on said vertical bar 16.

21 indicates a cross rod secured to the lower end of vertical shaft 19 and connected by means of chains or cords 22 with the shaft of steering wheel 23.

24 indicates laterally extending horizontal wings or planes rigidly secured to the front ends of bars 2, and braced by means of rods 25 secured to bar 1.

26 indicates a shaft journaled in boxes 27 secured adjacent to the rear ends of bars 2, and 28 planes or wings secured to said shaft.

29 indicates rods secured to horizontal bar 1 and to block 30 loosely mounted on shaft 26 to brace it.

31 indicates a shaft journaled in boxes 32 secured adjacent to the rear ends of horizontal bars 3 and geared to shaft 33 by means of chain and sprocket gearing 34, said shaft 33 being operated by hand wheel 35 having its shaft 36 geared to shaft 33.

37 indicates pulleys secured to the ends of shaft 31 and 38 ropes or chains secured to said pulleys and to the ends of the wings 28.

The screen casing 6 is divided into a plurality of compartments 39 by means of wire screen partitions 40 each of which compartments contains an inflatable gas bag 41 to secure buoyancy of the device, the balloon formed by said gas bags being adapted to support the weight of the airship with the motor and fuel, while the planes 24 and 28, when the ship is in motion sustain the weight of the passengers and crew.

42 indicates supporting wheels secured to the frame.

In operation it will be understood that the ship is steered in a horizontal plane by means of rudder 18 operated by steering.

wheel 23, while the altitude is controlled by tilting the planes or wings 28. By tilting their front ends downwardly the rear end of the ship will be depressed thus exposing the under sides of the front planes 24 to the air currents caused by progress of the ship, and the ship will rise. To bring the ship down the planes 28 are moved so that their front edges are raised. A very slight movement 0 the planes 28 is sufficient to accomplish the upward or downward movement of the ship.

Having thus described my invention What I claim is:

1. In an air ship, anelongated frame, said frame being rectangular in cross section and divided into a plurality of horizontally arranged compartments, inflatable gas bags mounted in said compartments and forming a substantially continuous balloon, a propeller at the front end of the frame, a vertical rudder at the other end, laterally eX- tending planes rigidly secured adjacent to the front end of the frame, a shaft journaled adjacent to the rear end of the frame, planes secured to said shaft, and means to tilt the planes thereon.

2. In an air ship, an elongated frame, rectangular in cross section, a series of compartments formed of wire mesh and arranged end to end, inflatable gas bags rectangular in cross section and contained in said compartments, said bags forming a substantially continuous balloon, a propeller mounted on the front end of the frame, a rudder on its rear end, laterally extending planes rigidly secured adjacent to the front end of the frame, a transverse shaft journaled adjacent to the rear end of the frame, planes secured to the ends of the shaft, and means to rotatethe shaft to tilt the planes thereon.

3. In an air ship,

three pairs of parallel horizontal bars,

cross bars, connecting the bars constituting each pair of bars, vertical bars secured to the three bars on each side of the frame, a casing formed of Wire mesh inclosing the two upper pairs of horizontal bars and the cross bars and vertical bars secured thereto, said casing divided into a plurality of compartments by Wire mesh partitions, inflatable gas bags mounted in said compartments, the upper and lower pairs of horizontal bars extended in front of the casing and inclined toward one another and secured to a vertical rod, a shaft journaled on the front portion of the machine and having a propeller secured thereto, means to actuate the propeller shaft, the rear ends of the two upper pairs of'horizontal bars extended rearwardly of the casing, inclined toward one another and secured to a vertical rear bar, a rudder journaled at the rear end of the ship, means to actuate said rudder, laterally extending planes rigidly secured at the front end of the casing, a transverse shaft journaled adjacent to the rear end of the casing, planes secured to said shaft, and means to rotate said transverse shaft to tilt the planes thereon.

In testimony whereof I hereto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

V EARL M. BALLS. WVitnesses:

R. L. SHINN, WV. A. LATTA.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

